Donald Trump won't take Air Force One to Davos after an electrical issue forced a U-turn
Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
- Trump's flight to Davos was disrupted by an electrical issue and had to turn back.
- The White House said the plane had been rerouted to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
- The president will be taking a backup plane to the World Economic Forum.
President Donald Trump's headed to Davos, but his flight met a hiccup late Tuesday.
Air Force One had to turn around and head back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday night after it encountered a "minor electrical issue," per a White House pool report.
Flight tracking data showed the plane turning around over the waters off Long Island, New York, and heading back toward Washington, D.C.
Trump will be switching to a backup plane, per the White House pool report, citing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
"After takeoff, the crew on AF1 identified 'a minor electrical issue' and, out of an abundance of caution, we are turning around, landing at Joint Base Andrews and boarding new aircraft," the press pool update said, citing Leavitt.
The update added that this would delay Trump's arrival in Zurich, where he is scheduled to join business and national leaders at the World Economic Forum's annual Davos conference.
The current aircraft primarily being used as Air Force One is a Boeing VC-25, a special military version of the Boeing 747 airliner. The plane is set to be replaced in 2028 by two newer, modified 747-8s estimated to cost over $5 billion in total.
Amid frustrations over delays to the new aircraft, Trump has courted the idea of using another 747-8, gifted to him by the Qatari government, as Air Force One instead.
The president has said that he plans to keep the $400 million luxury aircraft, which the Defense Department accepted as a gift in May 2025.
The press pool report sent on Tuesday evening said that Leavitt had joked to reporters that the Qatari jet sounded "much better" after the recent technical issue. The report added that the lights in the press cabin went out briefly after takeoff, but that the reason was unclear.
Trump's threats to take over Greenland have been a huge talking point at Davos. He has repeatedly said he wants to buy the semi-autonomous territory, which is governed by Denmark, and is not opposed to using military force to take it.
Before taking off on Tuesday, the president said in a press briefing that he has a "lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland" at Davos.
"I think things are going to work out pretty well," he said to reporters.
He also said on Saturday that he would impose an additional 10% tariff on Denmark, as well as Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland, if the European countries do not strike a deal with the US to hand over Greenland.